The dilemma: What happens when loyal customers, whose expectations of quality standards have been carefully nurtured and satisfied over decades, are unexpectedly disappointed and unhappy?

The situation: This season, one of the inn’s past guests booked several rooms for a gathering of friends and their children. The friends were new customers, so the booking promised to be a lucrative one. There turned out to be a hidden cost.

Relaxing on the communal lawn, on a lovely summer weekend evening, the group, lubricated by beer and wine, became loud and unruly. They added music to the mix. Other guests, who normally enjoy the inn’s peacefulness, could not. One pair of guests, after driving four hours to reach the Cape, left unhappily because of the noise and requested a refund. Others complained loudly and repeatedly. First-time guests were disillusioned. Repeat guests were dismayed. The offenders were oblivious.

Any business may suffer unhappy customers for unanticipated reasons, and most do at some time. Things happen that aren’t part of any marketing plan, such as shipping delays, order mistakes or breakage, or, in the case of the inn, plain rudeness. Customer reviews on various business websites cite them all. Sometimes customers vow ‘never again.’ But how a business owner responds to a crisis may make the difference between retaining customers and losing them.

The approach: The inn owners, who had been reluctant to call the police, were on the scene the next morning. They personally acknowledged the unfortunate situation to outraged guests and apologized for disturbances. Guests who had left and wanted a refund received one with a personal note. Others who stayed and asked for some consideration on their bill received it.

Finally, while the owners couldn’t do a weekend makeover, they blacklisted the offending parties from making future reservations. On balance, it wasn’t such a lucrative deal. In fact, it wasn’t worth the trouble at all.

Business owners can’t control all the factors that make customers unhappy. Some customers will complain or be disappointed when their particular expectations aren’t met, regardless of best efforts. But being present, addressing circumstances directly and making restitution where appropriate demonstrate a commitment to the customer.

Online retailer L.L. Bean sets a high standard for customer satisfaction, accepting returns for refund anytime, no questions asked. That’s not practical for all businesses. But all businesses can have a plan of action to address problems, as part of their marketing mix. It’s as important as any other type of promotion -- advertising, brochures, websites, coupons. It’s important precisely so that everything else isn’t wasted.